why do we have pubic hair and armpit hair

I have been trying to read up a bit on this. I started out looking on and it seems there are three hypotheses which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. 1. Aid the wicking of sweat away from the skin 2. Reduce friction between the thorax and upper arm 3. Facilitate the release of sex pheromones The first would seem possible because it would help to prevent s under the armpits and that also fits with the fact there are a lot of sweat glands there. The second, I can't find any citations which support this but I understand that people who shave their armpits tend to suffer from dry underarms. This could be a result of increased friction. The third is apparently controversial although it seems perfectly reasonable and highly likely to me. There is by Claus Wedekind who got men to wear a t-shirt for a few days. He then got women to choose a most preferred male purely by the scent of the t-shirt and found interesting results relating to the MHC profiles. The armpit hair could help to trap the odour produced by the sweat and help with mate attraction, like some kind of scent sponge.

I don't understand why this is so controversial, loads of animals influence mate choice with scent - perhaps people don't like to think we are genetically attracted to each other by sweat because it seems animalistic and less romantic. In summary, there is no sure answer and it could well be all of the above, or something entirely different. I must have missed the declaration of war on pubic hair. It must have happened sometime in the last decade because the amount of time, energy, money and emotion both genders spend on is astronomical. The genital hair removal industry, including medical professionals who advertise their speciality services to those seeking the "clean and bare" look, is booming. But why pick on the lowly pubic hair? A few sociological theories suggest it has to do with cultural trends spawned by bikinis and thongs, certain hairless actors and actresses or a desire to return to childhood or even a misguided attempt at hygiene. It is a sadly misconceived war. Long ago, surgeons figured out that shaving a body part prior to surgery actually increased, rather than decreased, surgical site infections.

No matter what expensive and complex weapons are used в razor blades, electric shavers, tweezers, waxing, depilatories, electrolysis в hair, like crab grass, always grows back and eventually wins. In the meantime, the skin suffers the effects of the scorched battlefield. Pubic hair removal naturally irritates and inflames the hair follicles left behind, leaving microscopic open wounds. Rather than suffering a comparison to a bristle brush, frequent hair removal is necessary to stay smooth, causing regular irritation of the shaved or waxed area. When that irritation is combined with the warm moist environment of the genitals, it becomes a happy culture medium for some of the nastiest of bacterial pathogens, namely Group A Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus and its recently mutated cousin methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There is an increase in staph boils and abscesses, necessitating incisions to drain the infection, resulting in scarring that can be significant. It is not at all unusual to find pustules and other hair-follicle inflammation papules on shaved genitals.

Additionally, I've seen cellulitis (soft-tissue bacterial infection without abscess) of the scrotum, labia and penis as a result of spread of bacteria from shaving or from sexual contact with strep or staph bacteria from a partner's skin. Some clinicians are finding that freshly shaved pubic areas and genitals are also more vulnerable to herpes infections due to the microscopic wounds being exposed to viruses carried by mouth or genitals. It follows that there may be vulnerability to spread of other STIs as well. Pubic hair does have a purpose, providing a cushion against friction that can cause skin abrasion and injury, protection from bacteria and other unwanted pathogens, and is the visible result of long-awaited adolescent hormones, certainly nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. It is time to declare an end to the war on pubic hair, and allow it to stay right where it belongs. We owe it to our patients to encourage them to let it be. This article was first published on